Machine for cutting and feeding blanks to body forming machines



July 6, 1937. c. v. slTRlcKLAND ET AL 2,086,196

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES July 6, 1937. c. v; sTRlcKLAND ET AL 2,086,196

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed March 27, 1955 lo'sheets-sneet 2 CHARLES VSm/czm/vn w/LL/AM O. MoRGpN rwQ/wkms July 6, 1937. c. v. sTRlcKLAND ET AL 2,085,196

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed March 27,' 1933 lO `Sheets-Sheets July 6; 1937- C. v. sTRlcKLAND ET AL 2,086,196

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed 'March ,27,A 1933 1o sheets-sheet 4 July 6, 1937. c. v. sTRlcKpAND ET AL MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANK`S TOl BODY FORMING'MACHINES Filed March 27, 1935 lO Sheets-Sheet 5.

Olmes VSTR/ckm/vn W/LL/nm OMoQen/v July 6, 1937. c. v.. sTRlcKLAND ET A1.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND`FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES lO Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed March 27, 1935 July 6, 1937. c. v. sTRlcKLAND E? AL A 2,086,196

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FOR`MING MACHINES Filed AMarch 27, 1953 10 Sheets-Sheet '7 55 .p17- l0 P27. l!

365 50%02 297 0 0, 98 'u 525e. Z9. 90 TW 5r 293 287 262 eas 264 5g? 229/ 296:2. 555 C/nmss VSTR/CKm/vn W/LL/AMOMoRa/w 553 gwuw/fovs July 6, 1937 c. sTRlcKLAND ET AL 2,086,196;

MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed Maroh 27, 1933 l0 Sheets-Sheet 8 5E -46 v am July 6, 1937. c. V. STRICKLAND ET A1.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING ANDFEEDINC- BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed March 27, 1935 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 MFM.

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` CHA/ms VTR/CKMND WML/HM O MORGAN July 6, 1937- c. V. sTRlcKLAND ET AL 2,086,196 MACHINE FOR CUTTING AND FEEDING BLANKS TO BODY FORMING MACHINES Filed March 27, 1953 1o sheets-sheet 10 CHne/.es 1./5 TR/ckLH/vv W/LL/HM O MORGAN wm. E m@ Patented July 6, VY1937 Y Y' 'Y Y s Y 'Y Y t fY MACHINE FR CUTTENG i AND FEEDNG BLANES T BODY FORMING MACHINES Charles V. Strickland and--William-O. Morgan,

Winston-Salem, N; C., assignors to R.. J. Rey@r` noids Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, N. C.,

a corporation of New `lersey s i sppiioation Marci. 27, 193s, serial` No. 663,058V

19 claims; (o1. 164-48) This invention relates to an apparatus for cutping the Ybody blanks while `theyfare Ybeing` cut ting body blanks and Jfeeding the same `to Ybody which assists in removing Vthe' blanksrorn*the forming machines and more especially to one that apparatus and squaresthem in the Chute which is adapted to automatically feed sheets long leads tothe body-forming machine so they willle,y f,

enough to have cut therefrom a number of blanks alned as they are fedinto this machine. 'Ths `5` into the apparatus, out orf a small portion of the f insures. the proper'eonveyin'sof Ythe body blanks ends and to also cut the sheetsto proper length into the'body forming machine andtherefore, to form a ,given number of body blanks, out the eliminates Calls 0f illfelOl" quality IOIYi heilig sheet into Va plurality Yof body blanks and feed turned out. i Y i Y the blanks into the body-forming machine. It is It is a furtherV object of` this invention to pro- 1 0 f a well known fact in the art oi making cans and vde adjustable means OI' adjusting finished OVel' L containers for tobacco and the like that the lid all lengths 0f 'the Sheets Of blank material and portion is stamped by one machinathe bottom also'adjllstsble means OI adjllSl'fng-thelnl/dllal poi-tion by another, and the body is formed by" lengths o-f the body blanks from which theloody4 stiil another. portion of arcontainer is formed. l Y i I15 Heretoiore, it has been the practice to cut the y It is a further object of this invention' to pro.-A f blanks for forming the body portion of a can by Vide means associated with thev vacuumQmeans machine and manually feeding the same blanks OI lifting` the sheets Veliiieelly.` Olie ral? rs' illlefY i one by one into the body iorming machine. This wherein7 beth ends 0f thesheets must be raised i go .operation required very fast work on the part beforeY the lvacuum will YbeY createdg ln other of the operator. Very often the body-forming words, `a by-pass'isrprovided connecting eachof f machine would not be supplied with blanks as fast the vacuum cups in which a 'vacuum must be 1 as the machine could take them. Furthermore, formed in both cups in order to be effective in by operation of a machine for cutting these either cup, Means are' also l.provided rfor sepa-V Y blanks and transferring the same to the body rating thersheets whenthe top sheet is being `r25 forming machine required a great deal of extra raised to be fed into the machine.- It is a' well i machinery and labor. known fact that when a pluralityrof sheetsare It is an object of this invention to provide an disposed one above the other they havea tendapparatus which is adapted to automatically pick ency to adhere to each other, and if it were not i 3G up by suction means, a sheet ironia stack ofv for aro-ughened surface abutting one end of these 30 sheets, one at a time, and to convey the sheets sheets which is provided there would be a'tend'- into the machine where the ends are squared by encytoieed two or more sheets into the machine i a pair of knives or shears. YFrom this position at one time.V A n -V the sheetsare conveyed to a second position Throughout the specicationvand claims the where another knife successively cutsV on short term body-forming machine lflasbeenvv used. blanks of a desired length as suitable dogs move In manufacturing some types of containers, such the sheet into position. Dogs are also provided asV tobacco cans, there .iisg` disposed rinadvance l for conveying these blanks into a body-forming of the body-forming machine what'isknOWn 'as 51 machine, a Wiring machine, which Vcuts away some ofthe 40, it is a further object of this invention toproedge of the blank and crimps it .around a fwire ro vide a machine which is adapted to'be operated for hingedly connecting a lid portion thereto, ci; in conjunction with the body forming machine. and in some instances this wiring machine?" In other words, this machine is synchronized with is a separate structure, while in other instances the body-forming machine in order to supply a it is a portion of theV body-forming machine desired number of blanks per minute to the body It is desired to be understood that the term 45 forming machine so that it will not be overbody-forming machine, used. in the specificai Crowded- Y tion and claims, is to include not only the bodyi It is a further object of this invention t0 prO- fOlmrIlg 'machine Proper, 'but als() themechansm Vvide a machine that will automatically pick up known as the wiring machine, and that v the Vapa'piuraiity oiV lithographed sheets, o-ne at a time,y paratus herein Ydisclosed is adapted to cooperate f and convey the same into the apparatus'toI be witheither thebody-forming machine properor il cut into blanks and also to feed the blanks with the'wiring machinewhenrthe'same is dis;Y into the body forming machine without the posed between the apparatus and the bodynecessity of being handled manually. Wealso forming machine. Y f i i provide a very effective gripping means for grip; Some oi the objects of4 the invention having 55 been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection With the accompanying drawings, in which-V Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus; Figure 2 is an elevation looking at the righthand side of Figure 1 withl the gripping means for removing the blanks from the machine and also the conveyor for carrying the same to the body forming machine being removed; o

Figure 3 is an elevation looking at the lefthand side of Figure 1; 1

Figure 4 is atop plan View of the apparatus; Figure 5 is a sectional plan view taken along line 5 5 in Figure V1;

Figure 6 is a detailed view of the apparatus for supporting and squaring a stack of long uncut sheets before being inserteddnto the apparatus; Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken along Y line 1 1 in Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view through the upper portion of the apparatus and taken along line 8 8 in Figure 5;

Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view thru the upper portion of the apparatus and taken along line 9-9 in Figure 5;

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along line IIl-I inFigure 9; f

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along line n n in Figure 5; 1

Figure 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the right-hand portion of Figure 8 but showing the gripping means for removing the body blanks from the machine in an extreme right-hand position; Y

Figure 13 is a sectional plan View thru the lower portion of the conveyor for feeding the body forming machine showing the means for adjusting the width of the body blank;

Figure 14 is a vertical sectional view taken along line I 4--I4 in Figure lwithparts omitted and showing means for raising the vacuum cups and also the lugs for guiding the sheets into the apparatus;

Figure 15 is a detailed sectional view of one of the vacuum cups taken along line I5-l5 in Figure 5;

Figure 16 is a view of one of the vacuum cups taken along the same line as in Figure 15 b ut showing the sheet in a different position and the air valve in an open position;

Figure 17 is a vertical sectional view taken along line I'I-Il in Figure 1 with parts omitted and showing the means for operation of the set of dogs to pull the sheets to their second position in the apparatus;

Figure 18 is a vertical sectional View taken `along line lil-.I8 in Figure 4 and showing portions of the body-forming machine and means operated thereby for manipulation of the blanks prior to their entrance into the body forming machine;

Figure 19 is a vertical sectional view taken along line IS-IS in Figure 1 with parts omitted and showing the means for operation of the set of dogs to pull the sheets to their rst position in the apparatus;

Figure 20 is a detailed viewof the closed cam associated with the means for operation of the first set of shearing plates for shearing each end of the sheets; i

Figure 21 is a detailed sectional view showing the position of the vacuum cup, the first set of dogs and the guiding lugs justas the edge of a sheet starts into the apparatus;

Figure 22 is an isometric View of a sheet before it is fed into the apparatus with dotted lines designating places where the sheet will be cut by the apparatus to form short blanks or body blanks;

Figure 23 is a sectional View taken along line 23-23 in Figurek 8 with parts omitted showing the position of a dog in its uppermost position;

Figure 24 is a developed view of the periphery of the barrel cam 23 mounted on the end of the main drive shaft and showing the path in which the cam roller is adapted to travel during one revolution of the main drive shaft;

Figure 25 is a vertical sectional view looking at the right hand portion of dog member 22| mounted in cup 22u as shown in Figure 1'7;

Figure 26 is a vertical sectional view taken along line Zit-26 in Figure 25.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral iD indicates a suitable base plate upon which is mounted vertically disposed members Il, I2, I3 and I 4 for supporting the apparatus. Disposed between members I2 and it and near the lower portion thereof is a horizontally disposed portionv I5, and disposed between members Il and i3 and at the same level as portion I5, is another horizontally disposed portion I6. These portions I5 and I6 are adapted to 1'0- tatably support the main drive shaft il of the apparatus, and upon this shaft suitable cams I8, IS, 252I, and 22 are xedly mounted. On the left hand end of main drive shaft Il (Fig.

1) a suitable barrel cam 23 is lXedly mounted, v

and on the right hand end of this shaft a sprocket 24- is mounted. Upon this sprocket 2t a suitable chain 25 is mounted, said chain 25 being adapted to rotate on another sprocket of the body might be stated that the sprocket on the body A forming machine upon which sprocket chain 25 is adapted to be mounted is of such size as to rotate the sprocket 2li and the main drive shaft Il at such a speed that the body blanks will be cut and fed to the body forming machine by the apparatus in synchronism with the bodyforming machine. In other words, the speed of the apparatus is synchronized with the body forming machine in order to deliver a blank each time the machine can take one without crowding the body forming machine. body forming machine on which chain 25 is mounted has one-fifth the'number of teeth thereon as sprocket 24 to cause a sheet containing ve body blanks to be cut into body blanks and fed into the body forming machine. Of course, this ratio can be changed to agree with the number of body blanks in a sheet.

Disposed between vertical members or supports I I and I3, near their upper end, is a horizontally disposed portion 3|. And disposed between the supports I2 and I4 at the same level as 3l is another horizontally disposed portion 32. This portion 32 supports the conveying mechanism extending from the apparatus to the body forming machine, which will be described later. Se-

cured on the upper ends lof supporting membersV Il', I2, I3 and It, by any suitable means, such as a plurality of stud bolts 34, is a suitable bed member 33.

rwhich has at its lower end a horizontally project- Integral with bed member 53, near theV l,feed end, is a vertically disposed portion 35 The sprocket in the ing portion or support 3%. Another portion 3l' projects downwardly from the lower surface ofY 'as a supply table for a plurality of sheets siti,

whereas, horizontally disposed member 3E acts'as a support for a plurality of sheets lil in position to be fed, one at a time, into the apparatus.

Figure ll shows the mechanism that is necessary to perform this Erst-operation, namely, the lifting of the sheets into a position where they may be pushed into the apparatus.

,Closed cam i9, which is mounted on main drive shaft Il, has a groove lil into which a suitable roller 2 is adapted to move. Roller l2 is mounted on the lower end of an arm 63, and the upper end of arm i3 is xedly secured to horin Yzontally disposed shaft d4 by any suitable means such as stud bolt fic. l-orizontally disposed l shaft M is mounted for oscillation in bearings i5 itl and 5l in vertically disposed members fill and 3 respectively. Fixedly mounted on shaft da is another arm 52 which projects to the right'in Figure le and has secured to its right hand end as at 53 a vertically disposed link Link Eli extends upwardly and'at its upper end is connected as at 55 to another horizontally disposed arm 56.

Intermediate the ends of arm a suitable shaft Y 5l is provided upon which arm 5S is ixedly mounted by any suitable means such as set screw 58. Shaft 5l is mounted for oscillation in bearings 59 and S, said bearings 5d and St being secured to the upper portion of sidewall members 6! and 62 by any suitable means such as stud bolts 59a and Sila.

Sidewall portions Sl and- 62 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 9) are disposed directly above the bed portion 33. Sidewall portion 6i is disposed directly above the bed portion 33 and is secured at the end next to the body forming machine by a suitable bearing 63 attached to the upper portion of vertically disposed member i3, by any suitable inea-ns such as stud bolts 6ft. The front end of sidewall portionV 6l is secured by means of stud bolts @la to horizontally disposed member S5 which is secured to the upper end of vertically disposed members Il and l2 by any suitable means such as stud bolts il and l2.

machine to bearing 'i3 by means of stud bolts 73d, said bearing 'i3 projectsdownwardly (see Figs. 2 and 4) and is secured to the top of vertically disposed supporting member lil by meansY 'i3 of any suitable material such as rubber, which will produce the necessary friction. A'suitable compression spring Sil is also mounted on bolt l. Disposed between the two resilient washers 'lil is a vertically disposed member 'i9 which has a slot 8| therein in which bolt 'it is adapted to slide.

The two resilient washers i8 are disposed on opposite sides of member 'l in order to produce a friction between member i9 and these washers. The amount of this friction can be increased or decreased by turning the nuts on the end of bolt sidewall portion 62 is secured at the end next to the body formingA le which williicrease ordecrease the pressure on spring Bt. Y y

' The lower ,portion of member-'l is'turnably secured around thec'enter portion of pipe t2.,

One end of horizontally disposed pipe 82 has another vertically disposedpipe 33 adjoining it, and at thelower end of pipe 83 is secured a vacnum cup 85. vThe other end of horizontally disposed pipe B2 has connected thereto aV vertically f disposed pipell which projects downwardly and is connected to a vacuum cup 6 at its'lower end.` The left'hand end of pipe t2 as shown in Figure l kalso has a flexible suction line Si which leads upwardly to a suitable Valve Q2 for cutting off the suction tothe vacuum cups'as for` instance .whenV the apparatus. is stopped at 'Y the end ofthe day. Thisvalve 92 andfitsV associated parts are supported by any suitable meansVY such as an L-shaped member. 93 which'projects outwardly and downwardly and is connected atv its lower end to member t5 by any suitable means such as bolts 93a. vertically disposed pipes 83 and El@ are slidably mounted in castingsaand Qt'attached to horizontally disposed memberli by any suitable means such as studrbolts Sila Leading Y upwardly per end is connected'to horizontally disposed pipe ill which is also connectedto the upper end Vof another vertically disposed pipe 93 which profrom. the upper portionV of vacuum cup S5 is another pipe at, and its up- );Iects downwardly into the top of vacuum cup. This pipe line, justdescribed' merely connects the two vacuum cups 35 and Should either' ofY the vacuum cups, when in their lowermost posi'- tion, fail to make a complete contact on'theirV lower surface with the top side of sheet lo and f fail to form a vacuum, then the vacuum would not be formed in either one ofthe vacuum cups I `duetto this connection. Therefore, there is no danger of one end of a sheet Vbeing raised' by one vacuum cup while the'other Vend would be left disconnected from the other vacuum cup. Y

Referring to Figures l5 and 16, it willbe noted that on the inside of each of vacuum cups S5 or 85 there is a valve member 9i.

Members? is*V pivoted as at 9g and has a sealing'relement Sjef on the lighter end thereof which is adaptedrto Y openor closeV the port to pipe 53 Yor gli; When Vthe vacuum cups engage a sheet d@ the heavier end' of members 91 is raised as shown in Figure 15 and a vacuum is created between the vacuum cups and theY sheetll as the valve member. 9T is held in an open position as shownin Figure lo. When-the sheet has been-partiallyrmoved into therapparatus as shown in Figure 15,3the Y left hand or heavier' end of valve member tlfalls downwardly by gravity and closes ports to the suction pipes. y Y

Referring again to Figure vlei, it can be seen that as cam le rotates in a counter-'clockwise direction the left hand end portion of member 5t is adapted to reciprocate up and down.V The friction created between washers it and member 'i9 is sucient Yto raise or lower the Vacuum cups and their associated parts, together with a sheet butfwhenever the bottom portion of the lvacuurn cups engage the sheet the cups will stop moving. Therefore, a slot 8l is provided inmember l to allow thebolt it to complete its downward stroke. This also causes thervacuum cups not to stop moving downwardly until they engage the top.- sheet lill, regardless ofthe height .off the stacl; of sheets. When the upper sidev of the vacuum cups engage the lower end of bearings 9@ and 95 the cups and their associated parts stop in their upward movement but at the same time, bolt 'it continues in its upward movement until the upward stroke is completed. This adjustment is made in order to insure that the lower surface or periphery of the vacuum cups 85 and 86 will make i'lrm contact with the top oi a sheet lil each time shaft |'l and cam lil make a complete revolution. And on the next downward stroke of arm 56 the portion 'i9 by` action of washers 'H8 starts downward movement to insure engagement of vacuum cups with a sheet 61! regardless of the height of a stack of sheets 56.

FiXedly secured to shaft by any suitable means such as studlbolt lei is another arm l. On the end of arm liii (see Figs. 2 and li) is another arcuate member lili secured by any suitable means such as stud bolts EQ2@ and on the end of member |52 is a bolt |63 which is adapted to loosely slide in slot it@ in the upper portion of vertically disposed member iill. The lower portion of vertically disposed member |95 is connected as at lt to another arm i3?, said lill extends upwardly and is ixedly connected to a rod |68.

Rod it extends horizontally on the front portion of the apparatus and is disposed in the upper portion of vertically disposed guide members |59. Also iixedly mounted on rods |98 are a plurality of beveled lugs ll which are adapted to assist in guiding the sheets lil into the apparatus after the sheets have been raised to approximately the same elevation as rod lill. Members lilii, E52 and bolt i B3 are adapted to slide up and down in slot |041 very much in the same manner as bolt i6 is adapted to slide up or down in slot 8| oi member 'is previously described.

When member llii completes its upward stroke bolt H83 is located in the uppermost portion of slot liill and member i235 is raised upwardly which causes arm it? to partially turn rod it which in turn causeslugs il@ to assume a position as shown in Figure 2l. At the same time the vacuum cups 85 and 8S are in the same position as shown in this figure. Since these lugs are operated from cam iQ they engage the lower side Y of sheet le and guide a sheet into the machine each time cam l 9 makes one complete revolution.

In the first step which has just been described, the top side of sheet fit* is brought up to the upper side of projections H2 of cover member i3 which co-ver member is secured to horizontally disposed member 65 by any suitable means such as bolts lisa. Disposed on each side of cover member H3 are plates ili (Figs. 5 and 9). The lower side of plates l M are on the same horizontal level as the lower side of projection H2 of cover H3 and serve to guide the sheet lo into the apparatus between cover H3, plates ill-'5l and bed portion llates lill are held in position by suitable vertically disposed rods 55 which project upwardly and are slidably mounted in lugs ||E and ill' attached to slides HS and Mil respectively. Two compression springs |28 are also provided for each plate i lll in order to hold the plate irmly against the sheet when the sheet is in stationary position and to hold the sheet while it is being sheared.

Refer ing to Figures i'l and 19, it is seen that along the rear edge oi t1 e bed member 33, a horizontally disposed guiding strip itl is mounted, the upper edge of which is slightly above the upper portion of the bed member Syand upon this upper edge one side oi a removable cover |3il is adapted to rest. The other side of remov- After the top sheet lli has been raised to the I lower side of projection ||2 and the bottom of plates Htl vanother device comes into action so as to place the sheet into the apparatus (see Fig. 19). Fixedly secured to shaft l1 is an open cam 2| which is adapted to be contacted by a suitable roller |55 secured on the lower end of bell crank lever Bell crank lever |l|| is iixedly mounted on a horizontally disposed shaft |63 by any suitable means such as set screw |42. One end of shaft H53 is rotatably mounted in bearing Mil, while the other end is rotatably mounted in bearing M5, said bearings |016 and M5 being secured to vertically disposed members ill and i3 by any suitable means such as stud bolts lle. The upper leg of bell crank lever IM projects upwardly and has secured about midway its upper portion a suitable tension spring lili. connected to angle member |48 which is mounted on the end of brackets |49 and l5@ by means oi bolts i511, the other end of brackets |49 and l5@ being secured to supporting members i3 and lil respectively by any suitable means such as stud bolts ila. This spring causes cam roller ille to contact open cam 2| at all times. The extreme upper end of bell crank lever |ll| is pivoted to a horizontally disposed link |55 as at itt. The other end of horizontally disposed link is connected to cuff member |51 as at |58. Cuff member |57 is xedly mounted on horizontally disposed rod |5S, said rod |59 being slidably mounted in bearing members 46|] and lGl. Member |653 is connected to sidewall member 6I by any suitable means such as stud bolts 16Go. Member 95| is connected to vertically disposed member E3. On the frontend of rod |59 is secured hook member |62 by any suitable means such as stud bolt |63. The lower portion of this hook member |62 has suitable hook |65 and a shoulder Vportion |E5. Shoulder portion #G5 and the lower side of plates lll as well as the lower side or projection l2 serves to retard the upward movement of the body blank di) when the vacuum cups are in their extreme topmost position.

Fixedly secured to shaft |53 is another vertically disposed arm |55 which is identical in all respects to the upper portion of bell crank lever E49 with the portion below the Shaft being omitted. This upper portion is adapted to work with the apparatus just described and is operated by cam 2| in the same manner as bell crank lever |lll.

Midway the ends of vertically disposed member it is another tension spring v |67, identical in all respects to tension spring lll?, and this spring is secured to horizontally disposed angle member E68. The upper portion of member |56 is pivoted as at il@ to a link lll. The other end of link lll is pivoted to cuff member V13 by any suitable means such as bolt H2. Cui member |'l3 is nxedly secured to rod |76 which is mounted in bearings H5 kand H6 which are respectively. On the Afront end of this rod a The other end of tension spring lill is lsimilarrin all respects to bearings l and Wardly toward'the apparatus simultaneously and operate together to slide a sheet d into the ma` chine when the vacuum cups Viiil and 86 have raised it to thedesired position.

It is evident that each time shaft il makes one complete revolution that hook members HB2 andY il? will force one sheet it into the apparatus which completes the second step in the operation of the apparatus.

In Figure 22, I show an isometric view of a sheet it before it enters the apparatus. The dotted lines which are represented by reference characters 83, |86, |85, l, EVS? and |83 represent the lines upon which the body blank is cut by the apparatus to form the individual body blanks from which the body of the container is made. Y

after the second step in the operation of feeding a sheet through the apparatus has been performed, namely the pushing of the sheet il into the position in the apparatus by dog or hook members 62 and lll, the next operation to be performed is to shear off the ends of the sheets along dotted lines |22 and |85. -This mechanism is operated by the closed cam 22 which is xedly mounted on shaft il. Cam 22 has a groove |92 in which a cam roller |9l is adaptedV to travel. Cam roller ESI is secured to the left-hand end of cam leverY |252 (see Figs. 3 and 20) and the other end of lever 92 is secured to shaft 93 by any suitable means such as stud bolt |94. Shaft 23 is mounted for oscillation in vertically disposed members i l and i2. The other end ofV shaft |53 has arm |96 which is Xedly mounted on this shaft by any suitable means such as ,stud bolts iSl. Secured as at is@ to arm |92 (Fig. 3) isa vertically disposed rod E29 which projects upwardly and is connectedV to slide i9 as atZ. In Figure 2 it is to be noted that a similar rod 22| is secured to the right hand end of arm |556 as at 222 and this rod projects upwardly and is secured to slide ||8as at 223. Y I

As shaft il rotates it is evident that rods |99 and 2M together with slides H9 and ||8 respec-V tively inake a complete stroke or oscillatio-nto shear the ends of a sheet 2t. of slide llil has xediy secured thereto shearing plate 'by any suitable means such as stud bolts and slide H8 has a shearing plate 288 secured to kthe lower per-tion thereof by any suitable such as bolts 2Std. Each time shaft il' and cam22 make a complete revolution these shearingplates 2&5 and 225 move downwardly to shear the end ofY the sheet @il along the lines 33 and E84.' f

' After the third operation has been performed, namely the shearing of the two end portions from the sheet flil, the sheet is moved to a second position in the apparatus byrmeans shown in Figure 17. mechanism is operated by cam 22 which is Xedly mounted on main drive shaftll.

Cam is adapted to be contacted by a roller 25 x which is mounted on the lower end of bell crank lever The lever 2'? is i'lXedly mounted on sleeve 253i by means of stud bolts 25B, andV sleeve 2t?, inY turn is mounted on shaft M3 and is adapted to oscillate thereon.

The upper portion of bell crank lever 2l has as at l il a suitable tension spring 2i and angular member lait. KVSpring 2H holds cam Hook The lower portion Y Y Byrefernng to Figures 5; e famiV 1oY it wllteV noted that balls 220 areplaced in hemispherical i .ther end of tension spring 2H is secured to Y roller 26,'at1all times, in contactwith the surface v Y 'of open camini. The upperportionof bell crank Y Y lever 2l is pivotedras at2|2 to vl'ro'rizontally dis-g .j I: f posedmember 2|3 andthe otherend of member 2|3 isfjpivoted as VVat 2M to a Gulf memberV 2|5. 5

Cunc 2|5 is fixedlyrsecured to sliding rod 2|6 which is adapted to slide in bearingV 2H which isiV Y secured to plate |22 and in member 2|8which1is securedto .horizontally disposed member V(i5 iby means-ofV boltsj2l2c1. Securedon rod 2|6 and 10 between bearings 2|? and` 2l8 isanother cuff.'v

member 222 which is xedly'secured on this'rodp means Yof astud bolt 2200i. The lower portion of this culi" member has a'dog 22| pivoted as kat the lowerrnost portion of thisv dog is l5@V adapted to contact the edge'of a sheet 40 when Yit is in `its. first positionV in the apparatus and slide it to a second position, namelyto push it until the edges Contact plate |3|.

syrefemng to Figures 25 and` 26 the oons1-.ruc-V V'20 tion of dog member 22| is seen more clearly.V Slightly to the right of pivot point 222 a suitable Y coil spring 22201, is'provided to keep the right hand portion of dog V22| in a downward position. Of

course, as another sheet enters 'the apparatus this 25 j portion'will befforced slightly upward'tofalloW lthe sheet toenterbutwhen the sheet has. been Y forced past the do-gfrnember 22|by members |62 and klSl which'have been previouslyY described, notch 222?)` engages the sheet and `carries it'fto `30,

the second positioninA the apparatus.V Y Y Fixedly secured on sleeve 20T is another vertically disposed arms225. This arm is identicalin all respects to bell ycrank 296 except that the lower portion which has a cam attached .thereto is;35

omitted. AThis arm 225 pro-jects upwardly and has secured as at 226 a suitable tension spring 227 similar in'all respects to tension spring 2| The other end of spring 221 issecuredlto angular member Hi8Y and. assists spring 2|| in keeping 40 cam roller 26 againstA cam 20 Yat all times.` The Y Vupper portienof arm 225 is pivoted as at 4228 to link229, andthe other end of link 2279 Pissecured as at 230 to a cufl, said cuff 23| being fixedly; Y secured on rod 232. This rodis adapted to slide 45 in bearing 222,.,attached to plate member |3|,"

. and alsoin bearing 234 which is attachedtorho'rzontaliyV disposed member by means of stud Fixedlyfsecured on.V rod 232 by Vmeansy of stud 50 bolt 235e andY between bearings'233'and 234 is ark cuff member. 235,'and this cuff member has a dog 22| mounted therein -pivoted as at222. lThis is Y f not shown in the drawings because'it is'identical inail respects to the cuff member 220 and dog T55` Y 22| shown on rod 2 |76 (see Fig'. 17V.) which has previously been described. 'I hese cuff members 220 and 2355 are adapted to move inwardly simulits second position in the apparatus. i

taneously and push eachend .of thesheetrllito, f1 toY cavities. in the Vupper portion o f'coverl I3 andare4 Y held down against VsheetV-il by means of leaf spring 24| secured Vvin the Vcenter-by 2111K .Suitablel (55"Y :Y Y means such'assc'rews 2&52. 5A pairjof thesefballs are disposed on each side ofthe machine in order to hold the sheets 4E in the proper position when -V the dogs or hook members |62 andY Tl. push sheet pressure on the top ofthe sheet lill.V

K Byreferring to Figures andlllit willjbe seen v 'i' f; as at 269.

that another dog 243 is disposed withV the right hand end of said dog (Figurell) on the division line between the first and second position of the sheet in the apparatus. This also Vserves to hold the sheet 46 down on the bed member 33 and also to retard any backward movement which might take place.

After the fourth operation has been formed by the apparatus, namely the pushing of sheet 59 to the second position inthe apparatus the sheet is moved endwise of itself and laterally through the apparatus for the rst cutting operation. Let us assume (see Fig. 22) that the sheet as shown will be inserted into the machine with the side shown farthest from the observer entering the machine first. Since this sheet has been sheared along lines |83 and i811 by previous operations of. the apparatus the sheet while in its second position will be moved endwise of itself 'and laterally of the apparatus one space, namely into such position as to cut off blank A along dotted line |85. The apparatus for performing this operation is shown in Figures 1, 3, 5 and 8. Fixedly moimted on the end of shaft l1 by any suitable means such as a set screw 23a, is another barrel cam 23 (Figs. 1 and 24). rel cam 23 has a zig-zag groove 25D which has ve peaks and ve depressions, and into this groove a cam roller 25| mounted on the lower end of rocker shaft 252 is adapted to operate. Lever 252 is mounted for oscillation on stud member 253 and the other vend of stud member 253 is xedly mounted on support 254 by means of stud bolt 255 and in turn this support is secured to vertically disposed supporting member i8. 'I'he upper end of rocker shaft 252 is pivoted as at 256 to a horizontally disposed rod 251, and the other end of rod 251 is pivoted as at 258 to a vertically disposed arm 259.3

Arm 259 is secured at its lower end as at 260 to a bracket 26|, said bracket 26| being secured by any suitable means to vertically disposed supportingY member I3; Arm 259 is pivoted'at its upper end as at 262 to a horizontally disposed link 263. The other end of linkk 263 is pivoted as at 264i to bracket 265 attached to the rlower side of reciprocating slide member 266. Y cured to slide member 266 are a plurality of boxes 261 which have mounted therein dogs 268 pivoted These dogs 268 are normally `held in a position shown in the left-'hand portion of. Figure 8 by a suitable compressionspring 216 mounted inside of the box. These` dogs 268 have a beveled surface 21| disposed toward the feed end of the apparatus (see Fig. 23) which causes the dogs to be. forced downwardly when the edge of the sheettouches them. By looking at cam 23 and groove 259 it can be seen that five oscillations will be eiected each time shaft |1 'a makesone complete revolution. In other words,

when a sheet d8 has been moved to the second position in the apparatus, it `will be moved to five different positions, laterally of the machine, each time cam 23 makes a revolution and each time it is moved to a position it will be sheared off to form body blank, namely along dotted lines |85, |86, |81 and |88. It should be stated here that the dogs 268 mounted in boxes 261 do not` push the sheet a distance which is equal to the complete width of a body blank, namely, the width of either one of the individual body blanks of A, B, C, D, or E. For example, these ldogs push body blank A in the rst lateral movement to a position approximately two thirds of the width of the body blank,

and at this point a gripping means is adapted to grip the edge of body blank A and pull it to the position where it will be sheared. This is the sixth operation of the apparatus and means for carrying out this operation is operated by the same means that operates the dogs 268, namely cam 23 and arm 259.

The gripping means for performing the sixth operation, namely the pulling of the sheet or part thereof the remaining distance out of the apparatus is operated by barrel cam 23 as heretofore stated, and it will be noted that there is provided a suitable horizontally disposed rod 216 pivoted as at 215 to the lower portion of lever arm 259. The other end of rod 216 is pivoted as at 211 to the lower end of vertically disposed lever arm 28|, said arm 28| being secured intermediate its ends as at 218 to bracket 219. Bracket 219 is secured to vertically disposed support I4 by any suitable means such as stud bolts 280. The upper end of lever arm 28| is pivoted as at 282 to a link 283, and the other end of link 283 is pivoted as at 284 to member 285 which is secured to the lower portion of `slide 281 by any suitable means such as stud bolts 286. The lower portion of slide 281 is adapted to reciprocate in groovesV 288 disposed on each side of the slide each time a sheet is pushedeforward. Mounted in one end of slide 281 is a gripper 298, pivoted as at 29|, which has a suitable compression spring 292 mounted under the right hand end of the gripper as shown in Figures 8 and 12 to normallyV hold the left hand end of, the gripper in contact with the top portion of the sheet. Mounted on top of the lower portion of slide 281 and directly beneath the gripping end of gripper 29|) is a beveled base member 293 upon which the lower side of the body blank is adapted to rest when the left hand portion of gripper 296 is in operation. In Figure 8 the gripper is shown in its extreme left hand position immediatelyafterit has gripped the end portion of the sheet and it is now in position to pull the sheet from the apparatus. Gauge plates 295 and 296 which are secured to the body portion -of the conveyor to the body forming machine by any suitable means such as bolts 295a and 296a serve to abruptly stop the sheet when it has been pulled out of the apparatus the desired amount. When the sheet vtouches gauge plates 295 and v296 the gripper slips off the sheet and continues to the right (Fig. 8). Since these gauge plates are set at right angles to the lateral path of travel of the sheet the sheet is 'forced into an absolutely square position before the cutting operation takes place.

Slide 281 has slidably mounted therein another member 296 which has a lug 291 integral therewith. This member 296 is confined in slide 281 by means of a plate 298. The left hand end portion of member 296 as, shown in Figure 12 has another projection 299. It should be noted in Figure 12 the slide member 281 as well as member 296 and the gripper 269 are in their ex- Vtreme right hand position.

Y, it

ing between the left hand end of gripper 29E! and member 293 and at this moment projection 2li? contacts screw 392 mounted in bracket 3&3.

forced to stop but slide 28? and gripper 2st move still farther to the left Vwhich causes the right hand end portion of gripper 2967130 move from under projection 289 which, in turn will cause the gripper to grip the sheet. l'

After the sixth operation has been performed, namely the gripper having pulled the sheet from the machine and squared it against the gauge plates 295 and 2%, a second shearing operation takes place to clip the body blanks from the sheet. By referring to Figures l. and 2 the mechanism for performing this operation is clearly shown. FiXedly secured on shaft ll is a closed cam i3 said closed cam i8 having a groove Sill? therein in which a cam roller 39% is adapted tov travel. Roller 39d is mounted onrthe lower end of arm` 307 and the other end of arm 353? is iixedly secured to a stud 5&8 which is adapted to rotate in bearing 389 which bearing is secured to verticall ly disposed member ll by any suitable means such as stud bolts 35d. Another arm 3H is also iixedly secured to stud 3% and thisarm projects horizontally to the right as shown in Figure 2 and has pivoted on the end thereof as at 3l2 another vertically disposed link 3&3.. Link SIS projectsupwardly and is pivoted as at Si!! at its upperend to one end of a horizontally disposed arm 355. Arm SI5 is mounted at its central portion on a shaft 34S, said shaft Slt being mounted in suitable bearings E3 and 83 on the upper end or" vertically disposed supports lll and i3 respectively." From shaft 3i@ arm SiS projects horizontally to the left in Figure 2 and has pivoted on its eXtreme left hand end as at 3H another vertically disposed link (fit. Secured to the upper end of vertically disposed Vlink l is anotherV link S19 by any suitable means such as bolts 32d penetrating slots 325e in link Bi and holes in the lower portion or" link Sil). This slotl 32M is provided in order to secure the proper adjustment between point Si? and point 32! where the vertically disposed link Slg is secured to the slide 322. y

. Slide 329 has a suitable shearingrplate 323 secured to the lower end thereof by any suitable means such as stud bolts 324; This plate is adapted to out the individual body blanks .from a sheet lill when it has passed through the apparatus.

erate in groove :it in cam '58. t will also be Vnoted that the cam roller, as the cam makes one complete revolution, is adapted to rise and fall Y four times. Each time this cam rises and falls the blade is adapted to riseV and fall, which means that sheet lill as shown inv Figure 22 will be sheared along lines 85, E83, li'l After the blank has been out along line ESS the blade will not fall again for that sheet but will dwell due tothe fact that the sheet along line idf-i has been she'ared by a previous already described. In Figure 2 the cam SBE and shearing plate 323 are shown in a position immediately? after sheet it has been sheared along lineY When shearing plate 323 rises again blank E will be conducted into the same position by dogs 2558 and gripper '29d aswas occupied by blanks Ay B, C and D previously but shearing plate will not make a downward stroke at thisV time dueto the fact that groove Std in cam it will Ait- Y er this Contact is made sliding member 295i is plates .2%.

By referring to Figure 2, it willbe noted that the cam roller 366 is adapted to 0p-` plates 255 and 2li@ on their lower endin the thirdV operation and also slide l'which has shearing` plate $523 on its lower end for performing `theVr not aubw'muei ses tcl-'fau 'downwardly t ,this time.; 1

Slidesl llt and ildwhich YoperateshearingA seventh operation are adapted to move' up and I down in guides or slide gibs which will be designated by reference character '3257.

character each oase, and these slide gibs are secured to the sidewall portion t! or 62 by any suitable meanssuch as stud bolts 325.. By refer,

ring to Figure '7 an adjustable Yfeature of these slide gibs will be shownmore clearly. BetweenY Since these are all 'alike they are-given a similar reference.

the gibs and the sidewall'portionlll or (i2 Y there provided a vertically disposed wedge Y which has a plurality of slots 3278 which are Y adapted to encirele stud bolts 32S. By movingVVA this wedgel up or down the cutting edges kof the Vshearing plates can be adjusted with relation to fixed shearing plates llb and 253th and 323m Set screw 5725 is placed inthe 'outstanding' legin the upper portion of wedge lill?! in orderto deter-'j mine the exact amount of adjustment to be made in each case. Y l

vided another wedge 332 which is adapted to t between the bea portion S3@ oi Vthe conveyor which leads to the body iormingmaohine and the gauge disposed therein, thru which bolts Ztla. and teta are adapted to penetrate. Y Also in the out- This. wedgell has two slots. i

standing of wedge S32-a suitablerset'sorew 33! is threadably mounted in order to determine the that the wedgefgoes in or out. It is evi-l dent that by pushing the wedge in, that'the gauge Y By'this, means the'A delicate has to be madeV can usually be made by manipu- Y lat-ing this set Vscrew 33H and wedge 332.' After the shearing takes place by the knife 323 mount-Y edy on slide 322 the'eighth operation now takes `place, namely the pushing vdownwardly of the body blank onto the Vplates @il and tl disposedin i bed plate so that it will lie flaton the'upper portion of the'plates et andA 6l Yin-the" conveying from whence it will `be conveyed to the body forming machine. One endof bed member of the bodyiorm'ing machinerie adaptedto'v f rest en a suitable bracket 334 securedto the ape paratus by any suitable ineanssuchY as stud bolts suitable slide 335 which is adapted toosoillate therein, This slide is operated by the mcchaniemconnected to `the body forming machine but av Vbri-ef description here is necessaryinorder-to the invention clear.

The vbed portion 335B of the co'nveyorhjasaI On this slide a suitable dog 33t is secu-red on the end thereof by any suitable means such as `boite del and farther toward the Ybody forming machine are otherV dogs such Sella.' which are`V I adapted to convey the body blanks .intothe bodyV :erining machine'as slide oscillates. This slide is adapted to one complete os- .i `eaclfi time a body blank is cutby shearbia in a sheet is deposited cnplates 5t andl.Y Sin other words; foreach revoluticnof the main drive shaft il', five,confipletev oscllations'are made Y* :fr

by slide 335. j

to. 'Y

' By referring to Figures 4, 5 and 18 the mechanism for this operation is shown, namely the pushing down of individual body banks into the conveyor. The reference character 35@ denotes a portion of the body forming machine which has mounted therein a conventional shaft siii with a suitable vbalance wheel 3412 mounted on the end thereof. Shaft Sill is geared up'with the motor to make exactly five revolutions each time the main drive shaft l1 of the apparatus makes one revolution.

Mounted on shaft 3d! of the body-forming machine is a cam 343, said cam 3113 being adapted Y to be contacted by a roller 3M secured on one end of bell crank lever 3d@ by any suitable means such as bolt sito. Bell crank lever 3st is secured to the body forming machine as at 341 and the lower end of bell crank lever 3d@ has secured thereto as at ttt? a suitable springl. The other end oi spring is secured to a bracket 35E which in turn is secured by means of stud bolts 35! to the portion of the body forming machine. Spring 36S is adapted to keep cam roller 344 in contact with the periphery of open cam 343 at all times.

Secured to the end of bell crank lever 3% by bolt 345 is another downwardly projecting link 353 which is pivoted at its lower endas at 354 to an arm 3215 which arm is iixedly mounted on shaft 356 which is disposed longitudinally of the machine. Gne end o shaft 355 is mounted for oscillation in bearing 351 which bearing is secured to angle member 35S of the body making machine by any suitable means such as stud bolts 353. The other end is mounted in bearing 3653 which, in turn, is secured to bracket 331i by any suitable means such as stud bolts Sl.

Fixedly mounted on shaft 356 and between bearings 351 and Edi! are arms 3&3 which have secured on the projecting ends pressure members These pressure members are adapted to assume a position as shown in Figure l2 each time a body blank is cut oi from the sheet. In

.other words, each time shaft 36 on the body making machine makes one revolution, this apparatus is moved downwardly and since this shaft makes ve revolutions each time main drive shaft i1 of the apparatus makes one revolution the feelers or pressure members will naturally be caused to oscillate each time an individual body blank is sheared. The arms 363 and pressure members are shown in uppermost position in Figure Whereas, Figures l2 and 18 they are shown in the lowermost position. This lowermost position is assumed immediately after the body blank has been sheared or the last one in a sheet deposited in the conveyor and this apparatus holds each body blank in position on the top of the chute while the slide 335 and dog 331 osciilate to move the blank longitudinally of the machine into the body forming apparatus.

Disposed on the side of supports 3S and 38 for supporting a stack of sheets i9 is an abutment member This abutment member is secured by any suitable means such as stud bolts 3239. This member is used to even up one end of a stack of sheets liti and to the bottom of the support stand 38 an angular member 31d is secured by any suitable means such as stud bolts sheets as they are placed on this support stand.

Disposed on the otherside or" support stand 36 isl a vertically disposed member 31| and this member 31E has corrugations in the -sicle which are adapted to press against one end of a plurality eachV other.

rFhis is used also to even up the ends of the of sheets lie. These corrugations tend to separate the sheets when the vacuum cups pick up the topmost sheet. It is a well known fact that hat pieces of tin and the like disposed on top each other w`ll have a tendency to adhere to When the vacuum cups and 86 pick up the topmost sheet then the corrugations in member Sli will be inserted by springs 311 between the top sheet and the next succeeding sheet and prevent the picking up of more thanv one sheet at a time. It is evident that the suction between the cups and the sheet is greater than the friction which might be caused on the end of the top sheet by the corrugated surface in the vertically disposed member 31E. Member Sli is secured by means of bolts 315 to a verticallyk disposed bracket 31%. Encircling bolts 315 and between member 317i fand bracket 315 are compression springs 311'. These compression springs are adapted to keep member 311 resiliently in contact with the end of sheets G at all times and tend to push them against the abutment member 3dS to keep them squarely positioned and even on the support.

y Bracket S'i projects downwardly and i's secured as' at 311s to the side of support 36. Stud 311a is disposed in a suitableA bearing 318 which is secured to the side of support 36 by means of stud bolts 31and this member is adapted to be turnably mounted on stud 311 shownin Figure 6. A guide wire 319 is also secured to bracket 316 by means of bolt 38). This wire works in conjunction with another guide wire 38| disposed at the other end of the body blanks. Sometimes another sheet will stick to the bottom of a picked up sheet and when the said second sheet is caused to fall back onto the stack of sheets by the serrated portion S'ii, these wires 319 and 381 guide the released sheet and cause it to fall back onto the stack of sheets in proper position. A nut 381 is -disposed on one side of pivoted member 386 and a spring 388 is disposed on the other side to.

secured thereto as at 382 a suitable tension spring Y 393. This spring is secured at its upper end to bearing 31B and tends to hold bracket 316 and its associated parts in a vertical position at all times. Member Sgt projects downwardly near the bottom portion oi the machine and is connected as at 3% to a foot lever 396. The other end of foot lever 39S is turnably secured to a stud 391 mounted in a lug 3518 which lug 398 is secured to base plate l.

Bracket'li has a downwardly projecting member 333 secured thereto and on the lower end of this member a horizontally disposed rod 385 is pivoted as at 384. This rod penetrates member 386 and is adapted to connect bracket 31@ and its associated parts with member 386.

By applying pressure to the'right hand portion oi foot member 396 as shown in Figure 3, the members 315, 31B, 385 and 353i assume a position shown in Figure 6 and in this position a Y.

laterally of itself into the apparatus, means for moving the sheet step by step endwiseof itself through the apparatus, means for completely severing the leading end of said sheet eachV time the same is moved step by step,excepting the last time it is moved, means for successively positioning and feeding the blanks into the bodyforming machine and means for driving the apparatus in timed relation to the Vbody forming machine so thata blank will be fed to the body forming machine each time it is ready to receivev a'blank, the means for moving the sheet endwise comprising a dog for engaging the trailing end of the sheet to push the same for a portion of an intermittentmovement and a gripping device for engaging the leading end of the sheet and pulling it through the remainderof an intermittent movement.Y v

3.' "Apparatus for cutting and feeding blanks to body-forming 'machines comprising means for positioning sheets of blank' materiaL'means for p'lckingup one sheet at a'time and moving said sheet sidewise and in a longitudinaldirection into the machine, means'forshearing the ends of the s l'ie'et,"means' for then' moving the sheet farther into'tlie'apparatusl means for moving the sheet endvvise step 'bystep laterally of the machine,

meaisfor completely severing theleading end of said Sheet step by step 'as it is fed laterally of the machine, means'for successively positioning said" cutblan'ks and feeding the same into the body y' forming machine, theY means for moving j sheet endwise comprising a dog for engaging the trailing emi of the sheet io push the same" for a portion of an intermittent movement and a gripping device for engaging the leading e'nd'o'fthesheet` and pulling it through the re-l mainderlotf'an intermittent movement.`

4.-iipparatusi6r cutting and-reediiigmanks to aibeqy forming' inajciiin'e ccm'pri'sing means im p'sit'in'ing sheet-scf' blank material, means' for picking up one `sheet ata time and-moving said sheetysi'dewise' and in' a longitudinal direction into themachine, means shearing the ends of theY slieet, for then mviiig the Vsheet l farther into 'the apparatus', means for moving the' sheet eniiwise stp'bystepiaterauylof the machine, means for severing the leading end of's'ad sheet step by step as it is fed laterally ofthe machine, means for successively positioning said cut blanks and feeding the same into thebody forming machine, Vand means 'for driving -the apparatus in timed 'relation to the body forming machine so that a blank will befed to the body forming machine each time' it` is ready to receive-a blank,

the Kmeans Y,for movingthe sheet endwise comprising a dog for engaging the trailing end of the sheetgto, push the samejfor a portion of an intermittent movement and -a gripping device for; engagingthe leadingeend of the'sheet and pullingit ,through the remainder oi'l -an intermittent movement. i Y

,5.,r Apparatus for cutting 'blanksffrom sheets of material Yand delivering the blanks .to a body- Vforming machine comprising Imeans for pickj up' one sheet at a time and moving the same Vinto a body i'forming machineV i Vcomprising vacuum means `for`engaging a sheet of material and movingY the same into the apparatus, means for severing V'the ends of `the sheet, means forY moving the Vsheet 'of material en'd- Wise of ritself step by step in the apparatus, means for rsevering the leading end from said sheet after each step by step .movementl thereof, except. the last movement, and means for feeding thevblanksV into the body forming machine, the means for moving the sheet endwise comprising a dog for engaging the trailing end o'f the'V sheet to pushfthek samefor a portion Vof an intermittent movement and* a gripping device forfengaginguthe leading end of the sheet and pulling it through the remainder of an intermittent movement. y t

7. Apparatus for cutting "and feeding blanks into a Abody forming fmachine comprising vacuumv means for engaging ya sheet jof material and moving the same into the apparatus, means for moving the sheet of 'material end- Wise 'of itself t step by step in the apparatus, means for Vsevering they leading end from? said sheet' after each stepby step movement thereof; except the last movement, means for feedingthe blanks into the body formingmachirife,

the means for engaging'and` movingia 'sheet' o material into the apparatus being timed lv'vith relationto the means for moving the Vsheet of Vmaterial step by step to position anotherY sheet of material in position for step by step vmovement as the last blank in, the preceding sheetV is placed in position for feeding into the bodyforming 'Inachine, the means for movingrthe sheet endvvi'se comprising a dog for engaging the trailing end of the sheet tol push the same for a portion of an intermittentfmovement and a'gripping device for eng'agihgthe leading end of the sheet and pullingr it through the remainderof an intermittent movement. t

8. V.Apparatus for cutting blank portions from sheets of 'material .and feeding the blanks orportions intoa body-forming machine-comprising a pluralityofvacuum cups for engaging a'sheet of material and movingit sidewise into the lapparatus-means interconnecting said plurality `of `vacuum cups wherebyv when one does not forrrr` aseal all ofthe cups will be rendered inoperative, means for cutting. the ends 'from the sheet to give -it proper length,

meansv forfurthe r .moving said sheetv of material sidewise and longitudinally of said apparatus, means for intermittently moving said sheet endwise itself and laterally of said apparatus` and means for intermittentlyy cutting a portion from Athe leading end of said sheet, means Yfor adjusting the cutting means to determine the length of the portions, and means for moving the cut1 portions into the bodyforming machine. t

9. Apparatus for cutting blanks from a sheet of material and feeding said blanks to a bodyforming machine` comprising means for support- 

